Wire stripper



Sept; 1950 H. c. AXELSE'BI 2,523,936

WIRE STR IPPER Filed Aug. 30, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l @0672 for i flaw rdC lxeiseze Jfforneys Sept. 26, 1950 H AXELSEN 2,523,936

WIRE STRIPPER Filed Aug. 30, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet' 2 17084476? C jzwiaeifPatented Sept. 26, 1950 7 WIRE STRIPPER Howard C. Axelsen, Sycamore,Ill., assignor to Ideal Industries, Inc.,v Sycamore, 111., a corporationof Delaware Application August 30, 1948, Serial No. 46,735

3 Claims. 1'

This invention relates to a wire stripper and has for one object toprovide a device which may be carried and used in the hand and by meansof which the insulation may be stripped from a wire or a group or acable.

It has for another object to provide a wire stripper so arranged thatthe insulation may be readily stripped at any desired distance orlength.

Other objects will appear from time to time in the course of thespecification and claims.

My invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings,

wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the device when not in use;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device of Figure 1; r 1

Figure 3 is a sectional detail taken at line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a portion of the device in the position ofuse after the insulation has been severed and before it has beenremoved; Figure 5 is a side elevation of the upper end of the devicetaken from the side opposite to that of Figure 2; V

Figure 6 is a sectional View with parts omitted and parts broken away,illustrating the device in use after theinsulation has been severed.This figure is on an enlarged scale;

Figure 7 is a'section taken at line 'l-l of Fig ure I Figure 8 is asection taken on an enlarged scale at line 8-43 of Figure 1 with partsomitted;

Figure 9 is a section taken on an enlarged scale at line 99 of Figure 1with parts omitted;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the movable, cutter element removedfrom its support; and, I Figurell is a perspective view of the movablegripping element removed from its support.

Like parts are indicated by like charactersthroughout the specificationand drawings.

'The device includes a pair of handle members i, i. Each may carry aboss 2' and opposite ends of a spring 3 v are mounted on bosses 2. Thespring .isbiased tohold the device in the position shown in Figures 1and 4 in particular. The handle members are each provided with portions1 which are pivoted together .about a pivot 5.

Each handle is provided with bifurcations 6 be tween which separatinglinks I, l are pivoted.

Pivoted also on pivot 5 are frame portions 8 and 9., Theseframezpo'rtions, as shown heremight be formed otherwise and theinvention is not limited to aibuilt-up frame part. Theframe portions 9are provided with upward extensions.

Iii. Fixed between the 'frame portions 8 and 9 at one side is a cuttersupport Ii. This support,

as shown in Figure 2, is shaped to fit between themembers 8' and 9 andto overlap the member 8 and to extend upwardly partially along theextension Iii. A fixed cutter element i2 is mounted links 1 with, aremade of separate plate members. They 1 on the member II and is providedwith a platelike portion l3which is inclined, as shown in Figure 4 andmay have one or more notches I4 and I5 of different sizes formed in it.A movable cutter element 16 with a blade portion [1 and correspondingcutting notches or openings l8 and i9 is positioned to slide, withrespect to the members 8 and-9, and is guided in part by the member II.It is also guided by the member 20 which is fixed to the upwardextension IU of one of thelframe portions 9. The moving cutter isprovided with a downward extension 2! and a laterally extending member22 which, as shown in Figure 6, fits within an eye formed in one of theThus movement of the link in response to movement of the handle I raisesand lowers the movable cutter. a.

Fixed between the opposite pairs of frame members 8 and 9 is a fixedgripping member 23 which is provided with a roughened upper surface 24.V

' Movably mounted between the framemembers ii and 9 which carry thefixed gripping member 23, is a movable part 25 upon which a grippingmember 26 'is fixed. This member is provided with a roughened surface21. The member 25 is provided with a downward extension 28 and a lateralextension member 29 which, as shown in Figure 6, is received in an eyeformed in one of the links I and thus the movable gripping memberisraised and lowered in response to movement of the link. This lattermovement is caused by movement of the handle I.

The blade members of the gripping members are shown as separate from theparts which carry them. This is advantageous but not essential. They canbe integral with parts that carry them that are made separately topermit. adjustment or removement for repair, or for the insertion of newmembers in case of excessive wear.

Asa guide for movement in the stripping di rection, thefollowingmechanism is provided:

A=pin 30 is formed on one of the members 9' The latch is notched at 34which notch ispositioned for engagement with the pin or stop 30. Thelatch 3| is also provided with a laterally bent part 35 which, asindicated in dotted lines in Figures 1 and 6, may contact the uppersurface of the adjacent member 4.

If the device is in the inoperative position of Figure l, the spring 3moves the parts to the position shown in that figure andin thatposition, the member 35 contacts the upper part of the opposite member 4and is raised from the position of Figure 6 to the position of Figure 1.

After a wire has been stripped by moving the handles I together andcorrespondingly separating the stripping and cutting parts and thehandles l are allowed to separate under the influence of the spring 3,the cutting and gripping members move toward each other, the latch 3| isthen moved into the position of Figure 6 and a brief dwell occurs duringwhich the latch engages the pin 30. While the parts are in thisposition, the effect of the latch is to permit the gripping parts andthe insulation cutting parts to move apart so that the wire may beremoved from the device. After the dwell, the parts are returned to thefull inactive postition of Figure 1.

The spring 36 is engaged at 31 in one of the members 9 and at the otherend, it is engaged at: 38 in an extension 39 formed as a part of theopposite member '9. It is biased to move the parts 9 and the members Iare attached to them and returned to the full inactive position ofFigure 1.

It will be realized that whereas I have illustrated and described anoperative device, still many-changes might be made in the size, shape,number and disposition of parts without departing materially from thespirit of my invention. I wish, therefore, that my showing be taken asin a broad sense as diagrammatic rather than limiting me to the preciseshowing.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

When the device is inactive as shown in Figure 1 and it is to be used, awire is put into it, as shown in Figure 4. The handles l are then drawntogether compressing the spring 3. When the handles I are drawntogether, the links 1 being pivoted to the parts' 6 of the handles, are

drawn downwardly and carry the movable grip- 1 ping member 25 and themovable cutting member l6 downwardly. The wire will be adjusted to lieopposite a suitable notch I8 o 19. Ordinarily, the notch is somewhatlarger than the diameter of the wire which is to lie within it. As thehandles are progressively moved together, the gripping effect betweenthe fixed and movable gripping members is increased, and at the sametime, the fixed and movable cutting members are moved togethersufficiently to out the insulation. This is the position shown in Figure4.

As'the handle members are drawn further together, those parts whichcarry the gripping members and the severing members are separated asshown in Figure 6. Since the wire is gripped firmly between the members23 and 25, and since the insulation has been severed by the membersl2'and l 6, the insulation is drawn oif of the wire and is stripped fromit, being pushedaway by theflat sides of the cutting members l2 and E6.

The stripping operation is now complete and the handles are released andpermitted to spread apart under the influence of the spring 3. After acertain amount of this movement, the parts have returnedto the postionof Figure 6 and the 4 latch 3| is engaged with the pin 30 and the briefdwell referred to above occurs. During this dwell the gripping membersand the cutting members separate to the position of Figure 1 and thewire may be removed. Further separation of the handles I under theinfluence of the spring 3 carries the parts toward the position ofFigure 1. The spring 36 assists in moving the parts fully to thatposition.

Movement of the right-hand handle 1, as shown in Figure 6 in particular,is efiective to 1 raise the portion 35 of the latch member 3| after asufiicient dwell has occurred to permit removal of the wire which hasbeen stripped.

I claim;

1. In combination in an insulation stripping tool, a pair of framemembers pivoted together, a pair of handles pivoted concentricall withthe pivot of the frame members and operatively connected to the framemembers for opening and closing the same, a fixed gripping means mountedon one of the frame members, a cooperating movable gripping meansslidably mounted on said frame member, a fixed cutting means mountedonthe other frame member and a cooperating movable cutting means slidablymounted on said other frame member, and means for cooperativelyactuating the movable cutting means and the movable gripping means withrespect to the stationary cutting means and to the stationary grippingmeans respectively, when the handles are pivotally moved comprisingmeans connecting one of said handles to said movable gripping means andmeans connecting the other of said handles t said movable cutting means,cooperating latch members carried by said frame members and adapted tohold said frame members temporarily spaced apart when so moved by thehandles, one of said latch members including latch release meanspositioned in the path of movement of one of said handles in its normalreturn movement from frame-open to frame-closed position to release saidlatch.

2. In combination in an insulating stripping tool, pair of frame memberspivoted together, a first resilient means urging the frame members toclosed position, a pair of pivoted handle members operatively connectedto the frame members for moving them to open position against the forceof said resilient means, a second resilient means urging said handlemembers apart, a stationar gripping member carried by one of the framemembers, a "gripping member movably mounted in opposition to saidstationary gripping member, a stationary cutting member carried by theother frame member, a cutting member movably mounted in opposition tothe stationary cutting member, means operatively connecting the movablegripping member and the movable cutting member with the handle membersfor actuation thereby into cooperative relation with the stationarygripping member nd the stationary cutting member respectively,cooperating latch members carried by the frame members for releasablholding the frame members in open position when so moved by the handlemembers, one of said latch members including a latch release partpositioned in the path of movement of a handle member in'movingfromframe-open to frame-closed position, whereby to release the latch in thenormal return movement of said handle member under the influence of saidsec- 0nd mentioned resilient means.

3. In combination in an insulation stripping tool, a pair of pivotedframe members, first yieldsaid frame members for relative pivotal move-vment, second yielding means urging said handle members apart, fixedgripping means mounted on one of said frame members, a cooperatingmovable gripping means mounted on said frame memher, a fixed cuttingmeans mounted on the other frame member, cooperating movable cuttingmeans mounted on said other frame member, means for cooperativelyactuating the movable gripping means and the movable cutting means withrespect to the stationar gripping means and to the stationar cuttingmeans, respectively, when the handle members are pivotally movedtogether against the force of said second yielding means, said actuatingmeans comprising link means connecting said handle members to saidmovable gripping means and to said movable cutting means, cooperatinglatch members carried by the frame members and adapted to hold the framemembers temporarily spaced apart against the force of said firstyielding means when so moved by said handle members, means yieldinglurging the latch member into latching position, one of said latchmembers including latch release means lying in the path of movement of ahandle member in moving from frame open to frame-closed position wherebythe latch is released in the normal return movement of the handle memberunder the force of said second yielding means tending to urge thehandles apart.

HOWARD C. AXELSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,151,319 Wood Aug. 24, 19152,179,581 Voogd Nov. 14. 1939 2,313,793 Wood Mar. 16, 1943

